# Changing color of a car **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Created:** [October 4, 2008, 4:31pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/changing-color-of-a-car/20340 "2008-10-04T16:31:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![retiree2020](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f9ae1b/32.png) [@retiree2020](https://community.cartalk.com/u/retiree2020)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2008, 4:31pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/changing-color-of-a-car/20340/1 "2008-10-04T16:31:54Z")
My son wants to re-paint his white 2001 Hyundai Sonata from Pearl White to Black. My husband thinks it lowers the value if you change the color of a car. How that could change the value of an old Hyundai is beyond me. Doesn’t that rule only apply to classic cars? ---
**Author:** ![GreasyJack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/df705f/32.png) [@GreasyJack](https://community.cartalk.com/u/GreasyJack)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2008, 4:47pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/changing-color-of-a-car/20340/2 "2008-10-04T16:47:09Z")
If it’s done well, it shouldn’t affect the value. That’s a big “if” though! Getting a quickie Maaco-style few-hundred dollar paint job will almost certainly affect the value because, for one it probably won’t look very good especially in the long run and also if you go to sell it at any point, a cheap paint job is VERY suspicious and I don’t know if most buyers are going to believe that it was just a change of color preference. Since a proper paint job with all the correct prep-work and undercoating will cost you well in excess of a thousand dollars, maybe even past two thousand depending on where you live, it’ll probably be a better proposition economically to sell this car and just buy a black one. Or, better yet, just tell him to live with it. ---
**Author:** ![retiree2020](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f9ae1b/32.png) [@retiree2020](https://community.cartalk.com/u/retiree2020)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2008, 5:24pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/changing-color-of-a-car/20340/3 "2008-10-04T17:24:54Z")
Thank you for your reply! I appreceiate the insight. Guess he is keeping a white car. ---
**Author:** ![Rod-Knox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a183cd/32.png) [@Rod-Knox](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Rod-Knox)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2008, 6:00pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/changing-color-of-a-car/20340/4 "2008-10-04T18:00:38Z")
A “paint over” will leave the under side of the hood and trunk, the door jams and thresholds, and interior trim the original color. The results of such a paint job are usually far from envisioned. But I have made worse mistakes and learned from them. Haven’t we all? ---
**Author:** ![pleasedodgevan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/51bf81/32.png) [@pleasedodgevan](https://community.cartalk.com/u/pleasedodgevan)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2008, 5:18am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/changing-color-of-a-car/20340/5 "2008-10-05T05:18:46Z")
You want a white car. Gray or black cars hardly show at all on the road and delivery trucks are always pulling out and getting hit by “invisible” cars. Daytime running lights don’t seem to help. The blind spots in the driver’s eyes might not see the lights and the rest of a dark car won’t alert the rest of the eye enough. If a driver gets lazy and doesn’t turn his head enough, he will jump right in front of you. This happens if you are to his left side. Keep it white. ---
**Author:** ![the\_same\_mountainbike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@the\_same\_mountainbike](https://community.cartalk.com/u/the_same_mountainbike)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2008, 5:33pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/changing-color-of-a-car/20340/6 "2008-10-06T17:33:02Z")
To go from white to black and do it such that it doesn;t show will be expensive. Doorjams, seams, door framework, and numerous other details need to be considered. A repaint without disassembly fills the seams between the body parts and this becomes evident upon a close inspection, such as one would do when considering a purchase. When looking a a car, a repaint always leaves a question as to whether the car has been in an accident. That always affects negotiating power. ---
**Author:** ![andrew\_j](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/91b2a8/32.png) [@andrew\_j](https://community.cartalk.com/u/andrew_j)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2008, 5:48pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/changing-color-of-a-car/20340/7 "2008-10-06T17:48:25Z")
The value is very limited on this car, about $2000-$3000. Repainting will not hurt nor help it in the resale situation. ---
**Author:** ![the\_same\_mountainbike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@the\_same\_mountainbike](https://community.cartalk.com/u/the_same_mountainbike)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2008, 6:15pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/changing-color-of-a-car/20340/8 "2008-10-06T18:15:35Z")
Good point. ---
**Author:** ![meaneyedcatz](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/meaneyedcatz/32/692_2.png) [@meaneyedcatz](https://community.cartalk.com/u/meaneyedcatz)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2008, 1:33am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/changing-color-of-a-car/20340/9 "2008-10-07T01:33:09Z")
You would be sinking a bunch of money into a car that is not worth fixing up and you will not gain one red cent for doing it. I am sure you have heard of “trying to make a silk purse out of a sows ear”? Well, this would be “making a sows ear from a sows ear”. ---
**Author:** ![meaneyedcatz](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/meaneyedcatz/32/692_2.png) [@meaneyedcatz](https://community.cartalk.com/u/meaneyedcatz)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2008, 1:34am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/changing-color-of-a-car/20340/10 "2008-10-07T01:34:15Z")
You would be sinking a bunch of money into a car that is not worth fixing up and you will not gain one red cent for doing it. I am sure you have heard of “trying to make a silk purse out of a sows ear”? Well, this would be “making a sows ear from a sows ear”. ---
**Author:** ![bing](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/bing/32/4619_2.png) [@bing](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bing)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2008, 4:45am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/changing-color-of-a-car/20340/11 "2008-10-07T04:45:32Z")
Let’s not get into this again. Ever try to see a white car in a snow storm? To do a good color change, the doors, hood and trunk need to come off so that the undersides and so on can be painted. If you don’t do that it’ll definately lower the value. Also unless they strip it down, every little stone chip will show a white spot underneath. Not advisable on this type of car. ---
**Author:** ![the\_same\_mountainbike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@the\_same\_mountainbike](https://community.cartalk.com/u/the_same_mountainbike)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2008, 7:58pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/changing-color-of-a-car/20340/12 "2008-10-07T19:58:54Z")
He’s not making an investment, it’s just a young fella that wants to paint his car. Nothing more, nothing less. After my own post it was correctly pointed out to me that the car’s value is limited anyway. There’s nothing to lose. I say the young fella should go for it. ---
**Author:** ![meaneyedcatz](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/meaneyedcatz/32/692_2.png) [@meaneyedcatz](https://community.cartalk.com/u/meaneyedcatz)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2008, 4:29am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/changing-color-of-a-car/20340/13 "2008-10-08T04:29:55Z")
I hear what your saying but I couldn’t do it. And since it is not an investment he has nothing to lose. ---
**Author:** ![meaneyedcatz](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/meaneyedcatz/32/692_2.png) [@meaneyedcatz](https://community.cartalk.com/u/meaneyedcatz)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2008, 4:31am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/changing-color-of-a-car/20340/14 "2008-10-08T04:31:10Z")
Sometimes I studder (lol) ---
**Author:** ![DaltonUltra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6f9a4e/32.png) [@DaltonUltra](https://community.cartalk.com/u/DaltonUltra)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2008, 4:41am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/changing-color-of-a-car/20340/15 "2008-10-08T04:41:37Z")
If you repaint a car the same color as it was, all you paint is the outer panels. When you change colors, you about double the amount of paint used, and all the extra work is in fiddly places, like the top of the fenders where they go under the hood, the area around the trunk opening under the decklid, the door jambs, the back of the doors, etc…Quite frankly, that kind of paint job is going to cost more than the car is worth. Unless he has modifications done to the car, it would be better just to sell it and buy a black one.